Breathable, wicking nonwoven material

ABSTRACT

An article including one or more moisture wicking layers and one or more fibrous layers. The fibrous layers may have generally vertically oriented fibers, which may be oriented generally perpendicularly to a surface having or producing moisture. The article may be adapted to remove moisture form the surface having or producing moisture. The article may be breathable. The article may be quick drying. The article may provide cushioning. The article may be a wearable item.

FIELD

The present teachings generally related to a nonwoven material, and moreparticularly, to a nonwoven material that is breathable and moisturewicking.

BACKGROUND

Industries are seeking new ways to provide materials with moistureresistance, breathability, cushioning, or moisture absorption whilestill having flexibility and physical strength. It is important that thematerials are adapted for a variety of applications and allow for easymanufacturing and installation. Moisture wicking and/or cushioningmaterials have a wide range of applications. In clothing, it isimportant to pull away moisture from a wearer’s body to keep the wearercool and/or dry. Some clothing, such as sports bras, must also besupportive and may optionally include padding. In protective gear, it isimportant that the material provides sufficient cushioning, such as inkneepads, elbow pads, shin guards, shoulder pads, helmet liners, otherheadgear, while also wicking away moisture and/or being resistant tomold or mildew so the materials to reduce odor or health risks for thewearer. Cushioning is also needed in applications such as car seats,bike seats, vehicle seats, or other seats. These types of materials arealso used for animal accessories, such as horse blankets and saddlepads, to protect the horse against weather and insects and to providecushioning for the horse between its body and a saddle, for example.

In consumer products such as clothing, protective gear, animalaccessories, or medical materials, for example, the materials used needto meet moisture resistance, comfortability, and structural requirementsor standards. These standards may vary greatly between each industry,and thus require a highly tunable material to meet all of therequirements. For example, the clothing industry may require a moisturewicking material that feels soft when contacting a user’s skin, whilethe medical industry may require a moisture absorbing, compressiblematerial that is quick to dry. Due to more demanding standardsthroughout the industries, the materials used need to be more robust andadaptable, yet not impose an increased cost to consumers. In addition,it is desirable that certain items, such as clothing or protective gear,like kneepads and helmet liners, are washable without losing theireffectiveness.

Typical materials used for providing moisture resistance or moistureabsorption include closed cell foams, cross-lapped felts, or materialshaving a horizontal fiber orientation. However, while these materialsmay absorb moisture, they often have poor breathability, resulting inthe absorbed moisture remaining in the material, promoting the growth offungi or bacteria and causing odor. These materials may be heavy and hotfor a wearer, thereby causing and accumulating more sweat. Additional,these materials tend to have poor resiliency in applications requiringheightened stress on the material. Clothing materials, for example,typically use nylon or polyester alone to provide a sweat wickingmaterial. However, these materials often provide poor resilience orbreathability, making it uncomfortable for users that wear the clothing.These materials are often difficult to clean and may even gain weightover time due to the building up of moisture, mildew, and the like.

It may be attractive to have a material that is resistant to moistureyet also pulls moisture away from a desired surface. It may also beattractive to have a material that is easy to manufacture; quick drying;structurally resilient; odor repelling; resistant to bacteria, fungi,mold, and/or mildew; or a combination thereof. Therefore, there remainsa need for a material that is moisture absorbing and/or moisturewicking. There also remains a need for a material that is antimicrobial,mildew resistant, flexible, breathable, or a combination thereof.

SUMMARY

The present teachings meet one or more of the above needs by theimproved devices and methods described herein. The present teachingsinclude a material that may provide cushioning, comfort, the ability toclean, or a combination thereof. The present teachings include amaterial that provides structure resiliency; comfortable product feel;moisture wicking; odor reduction or inhibition; cooling effect to thewearer; quick drying properties; is cleanable and/or washable;capability to be formed into three-dimensional shapes; or a combinationthereof.

The present teachings envision an article comprising one or moremoisture wicking layers and one or more fibrous layers. The fibrouslayers may be oriented generally perpendicularly to a surface having orproducing moisture. The fibrous layers may be formed by a verticallapping process. The article may remove the moisture from the surfacehaving or producing moisture. The article may be a wearable item. Thesurface having or producing moisture may be skin of a user’s or wearer’sbody. The article may pull moisture from a user’s skin, through thearticle, and onto an exterior surface of the article. The one or morefibrous layers may be sandwiched between two moisture wicking layers. Amoisture wicking layer may be adapted to contact the surface having orproducing moisture. An outer moisture wicking layer may face away fromthe surface having or producing moisture. The article, or layersthereof, may be permeable or breathable to encourage and/or facilitateevaporation of the moisture. One or more of the moisture wicking layersmay transfer moisture to the one or more fibrous layers.

Fibers of the one or more fibrous layers may have a non-circularcross-section. Fibers of the one or more fibrous layers may have across-section having a plurality of lobes and/or deep grooves. The typeand/or orientation of the fibers of the one or more fibrous layers maycreate a capillary effect to pull the moisture away from the surface.The article or one or more layers thereof may include an elastomericbinder to increase resilience of the article or the one or more layers.At least a portion of the fibers of the article may be thermoplasticfibers. The fibers of one or more of the layers may include polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), oxidized polyacrylonitrile(Ox-PAN, OPAN, or PANOX), aramid, olefin, polyamide, imide,polyetherketone (PEK), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), Poly(ethylenesuccinate), polyether sulfonate (PES), mineral, ceramic, natural, oranother polymeric fiber. One or more fibrous layers may includebicomponent fibers.

The article may exhibit structural resiliency to provide cushioning. Thearticle or one or more layers thereof may be moldable into athree-dimensional shape. The article may be washable without losingshape, resilience, wicking properties, drying properties antimicrobialproperties, or a combination thereof. The article may exhibitantimicrobial characteristics, antifungal characteristics, or both. Atleast a portion of the fibers of the article may be treated with or mayinclude silver and/or copper. The article may be mold or mildewresistant. The article may be flexible. The article may be reusable. Thearticle may be odor resistant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a layered material in accordancewith the present teachings;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a layered material in accordancewith the present teachings;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a layered material in accordancewith the present teachings;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a layered material in accordancewith the present teachings;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a layered material in accordancewith the present teachings;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a layered material assembly inaccordance with the present teachings;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a layered material assembly inaccordance with the present teachings; and

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional, enlarged view of exemplary multi-lobalfibers in accordance with the present teachings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The explanations and illustrations presented herein are intended toacquaint others skilled in the art with the teachings, its principles,and its practical application. Those skilled in the art may adapt andapply the teachings in its numerous forms, as may be best suited to therequirements of a particular use. Accordingly, the specific embodimentsof the present teachings as set forth are not intended as beingexhaustive or limiting of the teachings. The scope of the teachingsshould, therefore, be determined not with reference to the descriptionherein, but should instead be determined with reference to the appendedclaims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claimsare entitled. The disclosures of all articles and references, includingpatent applications and publications, are incorporated by reference forall purposes. Other combinations are also possible as will be gleanedfrom the following claims, which are also hereby incorporated byreference into this written description.

Moisture wicking materials have a wide range of applications, such as inclothing, medical materials, protective gear, and animal accessories.For example, the materials may be used in athletic clothing andaccessories, protective equipment, animal accessories, and medicalapplications, to name a few. Athletic clothing and accessories mayinclude, but are not limited to, sports bras, biking shorts and pants,sweat bands, headbands, shirts, pants, jackets, socks, gloves, hats, andthe like. Medical materials may include braces or gauze. Protective gearmay include helmet liners and cushions, headgear, knee pads, elbow pads,shin guards, shoulder and chest pads, hockey pants, and the like. Thematerials described herein may be used for any sport padding wheremoisture, such as sweat, must be transported and/or dissipated whilemaintaining a desired or required level of protective padding. Otherwearable items may include backpacks (e.g., straps or padding contactinga wearer’s back), vests (e.g., protective vests), or other items thatprovide cushioning, insulation, and/or moisture wicking properties.Animal accessories may include pet harnesses, saddles, saddle pads,horse blankets, and the like. These materials may also find use intechnologies outside of wearable items, such as in car seats (e.g., carseat cushions), bike seats, mattress pads, mattresses, pillows or pillowcases, and the like, where a user may contact the item, thereby stillrequiring a cooling effect, insulative effect, or moisture wickingproperties.

These materials may also provide additional benefits such as compressionresilience and puncture resistance, protection (e.g., clothing providingprotection from the sun or by providing cushioning), breathability,padding, moisture transference (e.g., moisture is moved from a surfaceof a user through the material), odor inhibition, cooling effects,insulative effects, or a combination thereof. The material may be shapedto fit the area to which it will be worn or used. For example, a kneepad could be shaped to fit over and around a knee. The material may alsobe soft feeling, lightweight, washable, reusable, or a combinationthereof.

The material may be a layered material having a plurality of layersadapted to include one or more of the above characteristics. Thematerial may include one or more fibrous layers, where the fibers arearranged in a generally vertical orientation. The material may includeone or more additional layers. These additional layers may be moisturewicking layers. For example, the layered material may include a moisturetransport layer (e.g., a layer that contacts the source of moisture).Moisture wicking layers may include one or more outer layers on anopposing surface of the one or more fibrous layers. One or more of thelayers, or the entire material itself, may be flexible, stretchable,breathable, or a combination thereof.

The layered material may include one or more fibrous layers. The fibrouslayers may transfer moisture from one or more abutting layers. Thefibrous layers may transfer moisture to one or more abutting layers. Thefibrous layers may provide cushioning or protection. The fibrous layersmay provide such cushioning or protection at a light weight.

One or more of the fibrous layers may have a high loft (or thickness) atleast in part due to the orientation of the fibers (e.g., orientedgenerally transverse to the longitudinal axis of the layer) of the layerand/or the methods of forming the layer. The fibrous layers may exhibitgood resilience and/or compression resistance. The fibrous layers may beresistant to puncturing. The fibrous layers, due to factors such as, butnot limited to, unique fibers, surfaces, physical modifications to thethree-dimensional structure (e.g., via processing), orientation offibers, or a combination thereof, may exhibit good moisture transferand/or absorption characteristics versus traditional materials.

The fibrous layers may be adjusted based on the desired properties. Thefibrous layers may be tuned to provide a desired weight, thickness,compression resistance, or other physical attributes. The fibrous layersmay be tuned to provide a desired moisture absorption or moisturetransfer rate. The fibrous layers may be tuned to provide a desireddrying rate. The fibrous layers may be formed from nonwoven fibers. Thefibrous layers may be a nonwoven structure. The fibrous layers may be alofted material. The fibrous layers may be thermoformable so that thelayers may be molded or otherwise manufactured into a desired shape tomeet one or more application requirements.

The fibrous layers may have pores. The pores may be formed frominterstitial spaces between the fibers and/or the shape (e.g., by havinga multi-lobal or deep-grooved cross sectional fiber) of the fibers. Thepores may extend throughout the entire thickness of the fibrous layer.The pores may extend through a portion of the thickness of the fibrouslayer. The pores and/or the vertical orientation of the fibers maycreate a capillary effect or chimney effect for absorbing moisture orremoving moisture from one surface and transferring to another area(e.g., to another moisture wicking layer, to another portion of thefibrous layer, and the like). For example, the fibrous layers may pushand/or pull the moisture from a first surface of the fibrous layers toan opposing second surface of the fibrous layer through a thickness ofthe fibrous layers. Capillary effect, or capillary action, is theascension of liquids through a tube, pore, cylinder, or permeablesubstance due to adhesive and cohesive forces interacting between theliquid and the surface. The diameter of the pores or channels defined bythe fibers (e.g., forming a capillary) for movement of liquid may beselected based on the thickness of the material through which the liquidmust travel. A thinner diameter capillary or channel may see the liquidrise higher than liquid in a larger diameter capillary or channel due tocapillary action because of adhesive forces.

The ability of the fibrous layer to pull or push moisture through thelayer may be, at least in part, due to the geometries of the fibers. Thefibers may have a cross-section that is substantially circular orrounded. The fibers may have a cross-section that has one or more curvedportions. The fibers may have a cross-section that is generally oval orelliptical. The fibers may have a cross-section that is non-circular.Such non-circular cross-sections may create additional tubes orcapillaries within which the moisture can be transferred. For example,the fibers may have geometries with a multi-lobal cross-section (e.g.,having 3 lobes or more, having 4 lobes or more, or having 10 lobes ormore). The fibers may have a cross-section with deep grooves. The fibersmay have a substantially “Y”-shaped cross-section. The fibers may have apolygonal cross-section (e.g., triangular, square, rectangular,hexagonal, and the like). The fibers may have a star shapedcross-section. The fibers may be serrated. The fibers may have one ormore branched structures extending therefrom. The fibers may befibrillated. The fibers may have a cross-section that is a nonuniformshape, kidney bean shape, dog bone shape, freeform shape, organic shape,amorphous shape, or a combination thereof. The fibers may besubstantially straight or linear, hooked, bent, irregularly shaped(e.g., no uniform shape), or a combination thereof. The fibers mayinclude one or more voids extending through a length or thickness of thefibers. The fibers may have a substantially hollow shape. The fibers maybe generally solid. The shape of the fibers may define capillaries orchannels through which moisture can travel (e.g., from one side of thefibrous layer to an opposing side of the fibrous layer).

The fibers that make up the fibrous layers (or any other layer of thematerial) may have an average linear mass density of about 0.5 denier orgreater, about 1 denier or greater, or about 5 denier or greater. Thematerial fibers that make up the fibrous layers may have an averagelinear mass density of about 25 denier or less, about 20 denier or less,or about 15 denier or less. Fibers may be chosen based on considerationssuch as cost, resiliency, desired moisture absorption/resistance, or thelike. For example, a coarser blend of fibers (e.g., a blend of fibershaving an average denier of about 12 denier) may help provide resiliencyto the fibrous layers. A finer blend (e.g., having a denier of about 10denier or less or about 5 denier or less) may be used, for example, if asofter material is required to contact a user’s skin. The fibers mayhave a staple length of about 1.5 millimeters or greater, or even about70 millimeters or greater (e.g., for carded fibrous webs). For example,the length of the fibers may be between about 30 millimeters and about65 millimeters. The fibers may have an average or common length of about50 to 60 millimeters staple length, or any length typical of those usedin fiber carding processes. Short fibers may be used (e.g., alone or incombination with other fibers) in any nonwoven processes. For example,some or all of the fibers may be a powder-like consistency (e.g., with afiber length of about 3 millimeters or less, about 2 millimeters orless, or even smaller, such as about 200 microns or greater or about 500microns or greater). Fibers of differing lengths may be combined toprovide desired properties. The fiber length may vary depending on theapplication; the moisture properties desired; the type, dimensionsand/or properties of the fibrous material (e.g., density, porosity,desired air flow resistance, thickness, size, shape, and the like of thefibrous layer and/or any other layers of the layered material); or anycombination thereof. The addition of shorter fibers, alone or incombination with longer fibers, may provide for more effective packingof the fibers, which may allow pore size to be more readily controlledin order to achieve desirable characteristics (e.g., moistureinteraction characteristics).

The fibrous layer (or any other layer of the material) may includefibers blended with the inorganic fibers. The fibrous layer may includenatural, manufactured, or synthetic fibers. Suitable natural fibers mayinclude cotton, jute, wool, flax, silk, cellulose, glass, and ceramicfibers. The fibrous layer may include eco-fibers, such as bamboo fibersor eucalyptus fibers. Suitable manufactured fibers may include thoseformed from cellulose or protein. Suitable synthetic fibers may includepolyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, Nylon, aramid, imide, acrylatefibers, or combination thereof. The fibrous layer material may comprisepolyester fibers, such as polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), andco-polyester/polyester (CoPET/PET) adhesive bi-component fibers. Thefibers may include polyacrylonitrile (PAN), oxidized polyacrylonitrile(Ox-PAN, OPAN, or PANOX), olefin, polyamide, polyetherketone (PEK),polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polyethersulfone (PES), or other polymericfibers. The fibers may be selected for their melting and/or softeningtemperatures. The fibers may include mineral or ceramic fibers. Thefibers may be or may include elastomeric fibers. Elastomeric fibers mayprovide cushioning performance and/or compressibility and recoveryproperties. Exemplary elastomeric fibers include elastic bicomponentPET, PBT, PTT, or a combination thereof. The fibers may be formed of anymaterial that is capable of being carded and lapped into athree-dimensional structure. The fibers may be 100% virgin fibers, ormay contain fibers regenerated from postconsumer waste (for example, upto about 90% fibers regenerated from postconsumer waste or even up to100% fibers regenerated from postconsumer waste). The fibers may have ormay provide improved moisture absorption or moisture resistancecharacteristics, or both.

The fibers may have particles embedded therein. The particles may act toremove moisture in the vapor stage (e.g., before becoming liquid). Theparticles may be embedded through an extrusion process. These particlesmay provide breathability and/or waterproofing properties to the fibrouslayer. The particles present in the fibers may increase the surface areaof the fiber by 50% or more, about 100% or more, by 200% or more, or by500% or more as compared with a fiber that is free of embeddedparticles. The particles may increase the surface area of the fiber byabout 1200% or less, about 1000% or less, or about 900% or less. Thehigh surface area of the fiber may provide high adsorption properties.These fibers may assist in providing heating and/or cooling. Thesefibers may provide odor control, humidity control (e.g., body humiditycontrol), or both. The particles may assist in removing or drivingmoisture vapor away from the source (e.g., through the layer). Embeddedparticles may include, but are not limited to, wood, shells (e.g., fruitand/or nut shells, such as coconut shells or fibers thereon, hazelnutshells), activated carbon, sand (e.g., volcanic sand), or a combinationthereof. For example, the fiber may be a PET fiber extruded with activecarbon and/or volcanic sand.

The fibers may be 100% virgin fibers or less. The fibers may includefibers regenerated from postconsumer waste (for example, up to about 90%fibers regenerated from postconsumer waste or even up to 100% fibersregenerated from postconsumer waste). The fibers may have or may provideimproved thermal insulation properties. The fibers may have relativelylow thermal conductivity. Such fibers may be useful for retaining heator slowing the rate of heat transfer (e.g., to keep a user or wearerwarm). The fibers may have or may provide high thermal conductivity,thereby increasing the rate of heat transfer. Such fibers may be usefulfor extracting heat from the surface of the source of moisture (e.g., tocool a user or wearer). The fibers may have geometries that arenon-circular or non-cylindrical. The fibrous layer may include orcontain engineered aerogel structures to impart additional thermalinsulating benefits. The fibrous layer may include or be enriched withpyrolized organic bamboo additives.

The fibers, or at least a portion of the fibers, making up one or morelayers of the material may include a hydrophilic finish or coating. Thehydrophilic finish or coating may create or improve the capillary effectof drawing the moisture into the capillaries or channels formed by thefibers. The fibers, or at least a portion of the fibers, may be superabsorbing fibers (SAF). The SAF may be formed of a cellulose material ora synthetic polymeric material, for example. The SAF may be in a blendwith other fibers. The SAF may be present in an amount of about 60% ofthe blend by weight or less, about 50% by weight or less, or about 40%by weight or less. The SAF may be present in an amount greater than 0%,about 1% by weight or greater, or about 5% by weight or greater. The SAFmay pull moisture into the material cross-section, where it mayevaporate.

One or more fibrous layers (or any other layer of the material) mayinclude a plurality of bi-component fibers. The bi-component fibers maybe a thermoplastic lower melt bi-component fiber. The bi-componentfibers may have a lower melting temperature than the other fibers withinthe mixture (e.g., a lower melting temperature than common or staplefibers). The bi-component fibers may be air laid or mechanically carded,lapped, and fused in space as a network so that the layered material mayhave structure and body and can be handled, laminated, fabricated,installed as a cut or molded part, or the like to provide desiredproperties. The bi-component fibers may include a core material and asheath material around the core material. The sheath material may have alower melting point than the core material. The web of fibrous materialmay be formed, at least in part, by heating the material to atemperature to soften the sheath material of at least some of thebi-component fibers.

The fibrous layer (or any other layer of the layered material) mayinclude a binder or binder fibers. Binder may be present in the fibrouslayer in an amount of about 100 percent by weight or less, about 80percent by weight or less, about 60 percent by weight or less, about 50percent by weight or less, about 40 percent by weight or less, about 30percent by weight or less, about 25 percent by weight or less, or about15 percent by weight or less. The fibrous layer may be substantiallyfree of binder. The fibrous layer may be entirely free of binder. Whilereferred to herein as fibers, it is also contemplated that the bindercould be generally powder-like, spherical, or any shape capable of beingreceived within interstitial spaces between other fibers and capable ofbinding the fibrous layer together. The binder may have a softeningand/or melting temperature of about 70° C. or greater, about 100° C. orgreater, about 110° C. or greater, about 130° C. or greater, 180° C. orgreater, about 200° C. or greater, about 225° C. or greater, about 230°C. or greater, or even about 250° C. or greater. For example, the bindermay have a softening and/or melting temperature between about 70° C. andabout 250° C. (with any range therein being contemplated). The fibersmay be high-temperature thermoplastic materials. The fibers may includeone or more of polyamideimide (PAI); high-performance polyamide (HPPA),such as Nylons; polyimide (PI); polyketone; polysulfone derivatives;polycyclohexane dimethyl-terephthalate (PCT); fluoropolymers;polyetherimide (PEI); polybenzimidazole (PBI); polyethyleneterephthalate (PET); polybutylene terephthalate (PBT); polyphenylenesulfide; syndiotactic polystyrene; polyetherether ketone (PEEK);polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyether imide (PEI); and the like. Thefibrous layer may include polyacrylate and/or epoxy (e.g., thermosetand/or thermoplastic type) fibers. The fibrous layer may include amulti-binder system. The fibrous layer may include one or moreelastomeric fiber materials acting as a binder. The fibrous layer mayinclude one or more sacrificial binder materials and/or binder materialshaving a lower melting temperature than other fibers within the layer.

The fibers and binders discussed herein in the context of the fibrouslayers may also be used to form any other layer of the layered material.

The fibers forming the one or more fibrous layers may be formed into anonwoven web using nonwoven processes including, for example, blendingfibers, carding, lapping, air laying, mechanical formation, or acombination thereof. Through these processes, the fibers may be orientedin a generally vertical direction or near-vertical direction (e.g., in adirection generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of thefibrous layer). The fibers may be opened and blended using conventionalprocesses. The resulting structure formed may be a lofted fibrous layer.The lofted fibrous layer may be engineered for optimum weight,thickness, physical attributes, thermal conductivity, insulationproperties, moisture absorption, or a combination thereof.

One or more fibrous layers may be formed, at least in part, through acarding process. The carding process may separate tufts of material intoindividual fibers. During the carding process, the fibers may be alignedin substantially parallel orientation with each other and a cardingmachine may be used to produce the web.

A carded web may undergo a lapping process to produce the fibrouslayers. The carded web may be rotary lapped, cross-lapped or verticallylapped, to form a voluminous or lofted nonwoven material. The carded webmay be vertically lapped according to processes such as “Struto” or“V-Lap”, for example. This construction provides a web with relativehigh structural integrity in the direction of the thickness of thefibrous layers, thereby minimizing the probability of the web fallingapart during application, or in use, and/or providing compressionresistance to the layered material. Carding and lapping processes maycreate nonwoven fibrous layers that have good compression resistancethrough the vertical cross-section (e.g., through the thickness of thelayered material) and may enable the production of lower mass fibrouslayers, especially with lofting to a higher thickness without addingsignificant amounts of fiber to the matrix. It is contemplated that asmall amount of hollow conjugate fiber (i.e., in a small percentage) mayimprove lofting capability and resiliency to improve moistureabsorption, physical integrity, or both. Such an arrangement alsoprovides the ability to achieve a low density web with a relatively lowbulk density.

The lapping process may create a pleated or undulated appearance of thefibers when viewed from its cross-section. The frequency of the pleatsor undulations may be varied during the lapping process. For example,having an increase in pleats or undulations per area may increase thedensity and/or stiffness of the layer or layers of the material.Reducing the pleats or undulations per area may increase the flexibilityof the layer or layers and/or may decrease the density. The ability tovary the pleat or undulation frequency during the lapping process mayallow for properties of the material to be varied or controlled. It iscontemplated that the pleat or undulation frequency may be variedthroughout the material. During the lapping process, the pleat frequencymay be dynamically controlled and/or adjusted. The adjustment may bemade during the lapping of a layer of the material. For example, certainportions of the layer may have an increased frequency, while otherportions of the layer or layers may have a frequency that is lower. Theadjustment may be made during the lapping of different layers of thematerial. Different layers may be made to have different properties withdifferent pleat frequencies. For example, one layer may have a pleatfrequency that is greater than or less than another layer of the layeredmaterial.

The fibrous layers may be formed by an air laying process. This airlaying process may be employed instead of carding and/or lapping. In anair laying process, fibers are dispersed into a fast moving air stream,and the fibers are then deposited from a suspended state onto aperforated screen to form a web. The deposition of the fibers may beperformed by means of pressure or vacuum, for example. An air laid ormechanically formed web may be produced. The web may then be thermallybonded, air bonded, mechanically consolidated, the like, or combinationthereof, to form a cohesive nonwoven fibrous layer. While air layingprocesses may provide a generally random orientation of fibers, theremay be some fibers having an orientation that is generally in thevertical direction so that resiliency in the thickness direction of thematerial may be achieved.

The layered material may include one or more wicking layers. The wickinglayers may be formed from a nonwoven material, a woven material, a knitmaterial, a meltblown material (e.g., of thermoplastic polyurethane), orthe like. These wicking layers may include one or more moisturetransport layers, which may serve to transport the moisture from thesource (e.g., skin or another moist layer, such as a garment) to the oneor more fibrous layers. The one or more moisture transport layers maydraw moisture from the source and distribute the moisture over a widersurface area to enhance absorption by other layers, to enhanceevaporation or drying of the moisture, or both. One layer may serve asan acquisition layer, which may function to draw moisture from thesource. Another layer may serve as a distribution layer, which mayfunction to disperse moisture around the area of the layer and/oradjacent layers. These functions may instead be performed by a singlelayer. The wicking layers may include one or more outer layers. Theouter layers may be located on the opposing side of the fibrous layers,taking up moisture from the fibrous layers. The outer layers mayencourage evaporation or have quick drying properties. The wickinglayers of the layered material may be the same or they may be different.One or more of the layers may draw moisture in vapor form away from thesource. For example, one or more layers may pull perspiration vapor awayfrom a body before the perspiration becomes liquid sweat.

The one or more moisture transport layers may be attached to one side ofa fibrous layer. The one or more moisture transport layers may beadapted to abut or contact a surface that is the source of the moisture.For example, a moisture transport layer may be a contact surface for aperson’s skin or an animal’s body. The moisture transport layer mayfacilitate movement of sweat or moisture from skin to the fibrous layer.The moisture transport layer may have a smooth-to-the-touch surface toprovide a comfortable contact surface.

The outer layers of the layered material may be attached to an opposingside of the fibrous layer. The one or more outer layers may face awayfrom the surface of the source of the moisture. The one or more outerlayers may be the outermost layer of the layered material. The one ormore outer layers may be permeable or breathable to allow for air flowwithin the layer. The breathability or permeability may enhance theevaporation of the moisture, thereby allowing the layered material todry. The outer layer may include perforations, apertures, voids, oropenings to further encourage permeability and/or drying of the layer.

The wicking layers may be formed using any of the fibers and/or bindersdiscussed herein with respect to the fibrous layer. One or more wickinglayers may be made from Lycra, polyester, polyethylene terephthalate, ora combination thereof.

One or more fibrous layers, the fibers forming the fibrous layers, theresulting layered material, or a combination thereof, may be used toform a thermoformable layered material (which may be nonwoven), whichindicates a material (e.g., nonwoven material) that may be formed with abroad range of densities and thicknesses and that contains athermoplastic and/or thermoset binder. The thermoformable material maybe heated and thermoformed into a specifically shaped thermoformedproduct. The layered material may have a varying thickness (andtherefore a varied or non-planar profile) along the length of thematerial. Areas of lesser thickness may be adapted to provide controlledflexibility to the material, such as to provide an area with additionalflexibility and elasticity, such as to form a stretchable compressionarticle of clothing. The layered material may be shaped (e.g., byfolding, bending, thermoforming, molding, and the like) to produce ashape generally matching a desired shape for a given application.

The layered material may be formed of a plurality of layers, includingone or more wicking layers, (e.g., one or more moisture transportlayers, one or more outer layers), one or more surface layers, one ormore skin layers, and/or one or more fibrous layers, in any combinationand in any order. The material may include two or more fibrous layers.The layered material may include one or more lofted layers, one or morewicking layers, or both. A skin layer may be formed by melting a portionof the layer by applying heat in such a way that only a portion of thelayer, such as the top surface, melts and then hardens to form agenerally smooth surface. A scrim may be applied or secured to one ormore fibrous layers. The layered material may include a plurality oflayers, some or all of which serve different functions or providedifferent properties to the layered material. The ability to combinelayers having different properties may allow the layered material to becustomized based on the application. For example, the layers may becombined so that the layered material is an article of clothing that ismoisture wicking, moisture transferring, insulative, cooling, has lowdrying times, or a combination thereof. The layers may be combined sothat the layered material provides cushioning with high resilience.

A coating may be applied to form one or more surface layers on thefibrous layers. The coating may improve one or more characteristics ofthe layered material. For example, the surface layers may beanti-microbial, anti-fungal, have high infrared reflectance, moistureresistant, mildew resistant, or a combination thereof. The surfacelayers may be an extension of the fibrous layers or wicking layers. Atleast some of the surface layers may be metalized. For example, fibersalong an outer surface of the fibrous layers or wicking layers may formthe surface layers. Metallization processes can be performed bydepositing metal atoms onto the fibers of the surface layers. As anexample, metallization may be established by applying a layer of silveratoms to the surface layers. Metalizing may be performed prior to theapplication of any additional layers to the fibrous layers.

The metallization may provide a desired reflectivity or emissivity. Thesurface layers may be about 50% IR reflective or more, about 65% IRreflective or more, or about 80% IR reflective or more. The surfacelayers may be about 100% IR reflective or less, about 99% IR reflectiveor less, or about 98% IR reflective or less. For example, the emissivityrange may be about 0.01 or more or about 0.20 or less, or 99% to about80% IR reflective, respectively. Emissivity may change over time as oil,dirt, degradation, and the like may impact the fibers in theapplication.

Other coatings may be applied to the fibrous layers to form the surfacelayers, metallized or not, to achieve desired properties. Oleophobicand/or hydrophobic treatments may be added. Flame retardants may beadded. A corrosion resistant coating may be applied to the metalizedfibers to reduce or protect the metal (e.g., aluminum) from oxidizingand/or losing reflectivity. IR reflective coatings not based onmetallization technology may be added. Anti-microbial or anti-fungalcoatings may be applied. For example, silver powder or otherantimicrobial nano-powders can be added into a portion of the fibrouslayers to form the surface layers.

One or more layers may be a porous bulk absorber (e.g., a lofted porousbulk absorber formed by a carding and/or lapping process). One or morelayers may be formed by air laying. The layered material may be formedinto a generally flat sheet. The layered material (e.g., as a sheet) maybe capable of being rolled into a roll. The layered material may be acontinuous material so that longer lengths can be employed in a singlepiece. The layered material (or one or more of the layers of the layeredmaterial) may be an engineered 3D structure. It is clear from thesepotential layers that there is great flexibility in creating a materialthat meets the specific needs of an end user, customer, installer, andthe like.

The fibrous layers, the wicking layers, the surface layers, or acombination thereof may be directly attached to one another. One or morelayers may be attached to each other by a laminating process. The one ormore layers may then be supplied as a roll or a sheet of the laminatedproduct. The one or more layers, therefore, may be attached to eachother prior to any additional shaping or molding steps. The one or morelayers may include a thermoplastic component (e.g., binder or fibers)that melt and bond to an adjacent surface upon exposure to heat. One ormore layers may be attached to each other with an adhesive layer. Thelayers forming a layered material may be attached to an additionallayered material. For example, a first layered material may be directlyattached to a second layered material (e.g., by one or more adhesivelayers) to form a layered material assembly. The layered materialassembly may include more than two layered materials. The adhesive layermay be an adhesive. The adhesive may be a powder or may be applied instrips, sheets, or as a liquid or paste. The adhesive layer may extendalong a surface of the fibrous layers, the wicking layers, the surfacelayers, or a combination thereof, to substantially cover the surface.The adhesive layer may be applied to a portion of the surface of thefibrous layers, the wicking layers, the surface layers, or a combinationthereof. The adhesive layer may be applied in a pattern (e.g., dots ofadhesive applied to the surface). The adhesive layer may be applied in auniform thickness. The adhesive layer may have varying thickness. Theadhesive layer may be a single layer (e.g., a single adhesive). Theadhesive layer may be multiple layers (e.g., an adhesive layer and athermoplastic fiber layer). The adhesive layer may be a single layer ofblended materials (e.g., an adhesive and thermoplastic fibers areblended in a single layer). The layers may be directly attached to eachother via other processes, such as by sewing, entanglement of fibersbetween layers, or other methods.

The total thickness of the layered material may depend upon the numberand thickness of the individual layers. The total thickness may be about0.5 mm or more, about 1 mm or more, or about 1.5 mm or more. The totalthickness may be about 300 mm or less, about 250 mm or less, or about175 mm or less. Some of the individual layers may be thicker than otherlayers. For example, the thickness of the fibrous layers may be greaterthan the thickness of the wicking layers (individually or combined). Thetotal thickness of the fibrous layers may be greater than the totalthickness of the wicking layers. The thickness may vary between the sametypes of layers as well. For example, two fibrous layers in the layeredmaterial may have different thicknesses. The layered material may betuned to provide desired characteristics and/or more general broad bandmoisture absorption/resistance by adjusting the specific air flowresistance and/or the thickness of any or all of the layers.

One of more of the layers of the layered material may have hydrophobicproperties. One or more of the layers of the layered material may havehydrophilic properties. Entire layers may be hydrophobic or hydrophilic.A layer may have both hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties. Forexample, a layer may be formed from a mixture of hydrophobic fibers andhydrophilic fibers. The interfaces between layers may include onehydrophobic layer or portion abutting a hydrophilic layer or portion.The layer contacting the source of the moisture may be hydrophilic. Suchlayer may cause moisture to wick away from the skin and distribute themoisture over a larger area to quicken the wicking. Adjacent layers may,for example, be hydrophobic. This may assist in the drying of thematerial and/or resisting the uptake of moisture from the externalenvironment. It is also possible that a hydrophobic layer or portionsthereof may function to draw moisture away from a surface (e.g., auser’s skin) while absorbing little to no moisture, thereby acting towick away the moisture. The hydrophobic layers or portions thereof mayfunction to transfer moisture to another layer of the layered material.The hydrophilic layers or portions thereof may function to absorbmoisture (e.g., from one or more hydrophobic layers or portions). Fiberswithin the layers may be hydrophobic. Fibers within the layers may behydrophilic.

Fibers of one or more layers of the layered material, or one or morelayers of the layered material, may exhibit antimicrobial properties.The fibers may be treated with an antimicrobial substance. For example,silver or copper may be used. Fibers may be coated with silver, copper,or a combination thereof. The antimicrobial substance may be otherwisedeposited on the surface of the fibers (e.g., via sputtering,electrostatic deposition). The antimicrobial substance may be part ofthe fibers. For example, silver particles, copper particles, or both,may be within fibers of the one or more layers of the layered material.

The layered material disclosed exhibits breathability, which allows foran increased drying time of the material and/or increased cooling of thesurface of the source of the moisture. With the ability for air topermeate the material, this increases the drying time, thereby alsodecreasing the formation of mold, mildew, and/or odors. The layeredmaterial, or one or more layers thereof, may exhibit a permeability at100 Pa of about 600 liters per square meter per second (L/m²/s) orgreater, about 700 L/m²/s or greater, or about 800 L/m²/s or greater.The layered material, or one or more layers thereof, may exhibit apermeability of about 1500 L/m²/s or less, about 1200 L/m²/s or less, orabout 1000 L/m²/s or less. This is a significant improvement over othertraditional materials. For example, a polyurethane memory foam at 1100g/m² at 15 mm thickness exhibits a permeability of about 500 L/m²/s. Anopen cell polyurethane foam material at 600 g/m² at 20 mm thicknessexhibits a permeability of less than about 100 L/m²/s. A two-layeredfoam formed of an ethylene vinyl acetate foam layer at 10 mm thicknessand polyurethane foam layer 2 mm thickness at 1100 g/m² total exhibitsno permeability.

The layered material may provide cushioning while also providingmoisture wicking, evaporation, thermal insulation, or the like. Thelayered material, or layers thereof, may exhibit resilience. Resiliencemay be at least in part due to the orientation of the fibers, geometryof the fibers, denier of the fibers, composition of the fibers, thelike, or a combination thereof. Resilience may be measured using astandardized compression force deflection or indentation forcedeflection test (e.g., ASTM D3574). The desired resilience may dependupon the application within which the layered material is used. Thelayered material may have a resilience suitable for its intendedpurpose.

The layered material or one or more layers thereof (e.g., fibrous layer)may be formed to have a thickness and density selected according to therequired physical, insulation, moisture absorption/resistance, and airpermeability properties desired of the finished layers (and/or thelayered material as a whole). The layers of the layered material may beany thickness depending on the application, location of installation,shape, fibers used, fiber geometry and/or orientation, lofting of thefibrous layers, or other factors. The density of the layers may depend,in part, on the specific gravity of any additives incorporated into thematerial comprising the layer (such as nonwoven material), and/or theproportion of the final material that the additives constitute. Thelayered material may have a varying density and/or thickness along oneor more of its dimensions. Bulk density generally is a function of thespecific gravity of the fibers and the porosity of the material producedfrom the fibers, which can be considered to represent the packingdensity of the fibers.

The layered material may be formed through one or more laminationtechniques, or another technique capable of joining two or more layerstogether. The one or more layers may then be supplied as a roll or asheet of the laminated product. The one or more layers, therefore, maybe attached to each other prior to any additional shaping or moldingsteps.

Moisture absorption, moisture resistance, insulation, or a combinationthereof of the layered material (and/or its layers) may be impacted bythe shape of the layered material. The layered material, or one or moreof its layers, may be generally flat. The layered material, or one ofits layers, may be supplied as a sheet. The layered material or one ormore of its layers may be supplied in a roll. One or more layers of thelayered material may be laminated together (e.g., to supply the layeredmaterial as a sheet or roll and/or prior to any additional shaping ormolding step). The finished layered material may be fabricated intocut-to-print two-dimensional flat parts depending on the desiredapplication. The layered material may be formed into any shape. Forexample, the layered material may be molded (e.g., into athree-dimensional shape) to generally match a desired shape. Thefinished layered material may be molded-to-print into athree-dimensional shape for a desired application.

The article or material disclosed may further comprise any one or moreof the features described in the specification in any combination,including the preferences and examples listed in this specification, andincluding any of the following features alone or in combination: thearticle may be a wearable item; the surface having or producing moisturemay be skin of a body or a garment saturated with moisture; the one ormore fibrous layers may be sandwiched between two moisture wickinglayers; a moisture wicking layer may be adapted to contact the surfacehaving or producing moisture; an outer moisture wicking layer may faceaway from the surface having or producing moisture; the article may beadapted to pull moisture from a user’s skin, through the article, andonto an exterior surface of the article; the article or layers thereofmay be permeable and/or breathable to encourage evaporation of themoisture, to allow air flow through the article or one or more layersthereof, or both; fibers of the one or more fibrous layers may have anon-circular cross-section; fibers of the one or more fibrous layers mayhave a cross-section having a plurality of lobes and/or deep grooves;the type and/or orientation of the fibers of the one or more fibrouslayers may create a capillary effect to pull the moisture away from thesurface; one or more of the moisture wicking layers may transfermoisture to the one or more fibrous layers; one or more of the moisturewicking layers may transfer moisture to the one or more fibrous layersand/or may spread the moisture over a larger surface area of the one ormore fibrous layers and/or fibers thereof; the article may exhibitstructural resiliency to provide cushioning; the article or one or morelayers thereof may include an elastomeric binder to increase resilienceof the article or the one or more layers; the fibrous layer may beformed by a vertical lapping process; the article or one or more layersthereof may be thermoformable to allow the article to be formed into adesired shape; the article or one or more layers thereof may be moldableinto a three-dimensional shape; the article may be washable withoutlosing shape, resilience, wicking properties, drying propertiesantimicrobial properties, or a combination thereof; the article mayexhibit antimicrobial characteristics, antifungal characteristics, orboth; at least a portion of the fibers of the article may be treatedwith or include silver or copper; at least a portion of the fibers ofthe article may be thermoplastic fibers; one or more layers may includefibers of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyacrylonitrile (PAN),oxidized polyacrylonitrile (Ox-PAN, OPAN, or PANOX), aramid, olefin,polyamide, imide, polyetherketone (PEK), polyetheretherketone (PEEK),Poly(ethylene succinate), polyether sulfonate (PES), mineral, ceramic,natural, or another polymeric fiber; the one or more fibrous layers mayinclude bicomponent fibers; the article may be mold or mildew resistant;the article may be flexible; the article may be reusable; the articlemay be odor resistant; one or more of the layers may be laminatedtogether to form a laminated product; the layers may be laminatedtogether prior to any additional shaping or molding steps; the articlemay be supplied as a roll or a sheet of the laminated product.

Turning now to the figures, FIGS. 1-3 illustrates exemplarycross-sections of a layered material 30 in accordance with the presentteachings. In FIG. 1 , the layered material 30 includes a fibrous layer34 disposed between a moisture transport layer 32 and an outer layer 33.As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the layered material 30 includes one or moresurface layers 36 disposed on an exterior surface of the layeredmaterial 30.

FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-section of a layered material 30. The layeredmaterial 30 includes a fibrous layer 34 disposed on a moisture transportlayer 32.

FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-section of a layered material 30 having afibrous layer 34 and two moisture transport layers 32. The fibrous layer34 is disposed between a moisture transport layer 32 and an outer layer33. The fibrous layer 34 is joined to both the moisture transport layer32 and the outer layer 33 by an optional adhesive layer 38.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate cross-sections of a layered material assembly60. The layered material assembly 60 includes a plurality of layeredmaterials 30 joined together via an adhesive layer 38. Each of thelayered materials 30 includes a fibrous layer 34 disposed between amoisture transport layer 32 and an outer layer 33. As shown in FIG. 6 ,the layered materials 30 are joined by the adhesive layer 38 so that afirst moisture transport layer 32 of a first layered material 30 and anouter layer 33 of a second layered material 30 abut one another to forma stacked layered material assembly 60. Alternatively, as shown in FIG.7 , the layered materials 30 are joined by the adhesive layer 38 alongabutting edges of the layered materials 30.

FIG. 8 illustrates an enlarged cross-sectional view of multi-lobalfibers 40 in accordance with the present teachings. The multi-lobalfibers may be oriented in a generally vertical direction relative to thelongitudinal axis of the fibrous layer (e.g., perpendicular to thesource of the moisture). The multi-lobal cross-section of each fiber, orthe interaction between multi-lobal fibers 40 may create capillaries orchannels 42 through which moisture can be pulled (e.g., by capillaryaction).

Any of the layered materials as shown herein may have one or more facinglayers one or more scrim layers, or both. For example, a facing layer(or scrim) may be positioned on a surface of a fibrous layer, facingaway from the moisture transport layer. It is also contemplated that thefibrous layers, moisture transport layers, outer layers, adhesivelayers, and surface layers may be configured in any combination andorder

Any of the materials described herein may be combined with othermaterials described herein (e.g., in the same layer or in differentlayers of the layered material). The layers may be formed from differentmaterials. Some layers, or all of the layers, may be formed from thesame materials, or may include common materials or fibers. The type ofmaterials forming the layers, order of the layers, number of layers,positioning of layers, thickness of layers, or a combination thereof,may be chosen based on the desired properties of each material (e.g.,wicking properties, cooling properties, insulative properties, and thelike), the desired air flow resistive properties of the material as awhole, the desired weight, density and/or thickness of the material, thedesired flexibility of the material (or locations of controlledflexibility), or a combination thereof. The layers may be selected toprovide varying orientations of fibers.

While discussed in the context of wearable material, it is also withinthe scope of the teachings that one or more layered material layers mayattach directly to a wall, surface of a substrate, surface of the area,or a combination thereof. The layered material may be attached via afastener, adhesive, or other material capable of securing the layeredmaterial to a substrate, or other surface. The securing of the layeredmaterial to itself or to another surface may be repositionable orpermanent. The layered material may include one or more fasteners,adhesives, or other known materials for joining a layered material to asubstrate, another portion of the layered material, another layeredmaterial, or a combination thereof. The fastener, adhesive, or othermeans of attachment may be able to withstand the elements to which it isexposed (e.g., temperature fluctuations). Fasteners may include, but arenot limited to, screws, nails, pins, bolts, friction-fit fasteners,snaps, hook and eye fasteners, zippers, clamps, the like, or acombination thereof. Adhesives may include any type of adhesive, such asa tape material, a peel-and-stick adhesive, a pressure sensitiveadhesive, a hot melt adhesive, the like, or a combination thereof. Thelayered material may include one or more fasteners or adhesives to joinportions of the layered material to another substrate. The layeredmaterial may include a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) to adhere thelayered material to itself or to another surface.

EXAMPLES

The following examples are provided to illustrate the disclosed layeredmaterial and layered thereof, but are not intended to limit the scopethereof.

The samples in accordance with the present teachings for testing areprepared and shown in Table 1. All samples have a thickness of 13 mmunless otherwise noted.

TABLE 1 Sample Name Components of Sample Surface Density (g/m²) 1A 70%thermoplastic multi-lobal fiber 30% elastomeric binder 300 1B 70%thermoplastic multi-lobal fiber 30% elastomeric binder 500 2A 70%polyethylene terephthalate fiber 30% elastomeric binder 300 2B 70%polyethylene terephthalate fiber 30% elastomeric binder 500 3A 30%polyethylene terephthalate fiber 30% elastomeric binder 40%thermoplastic multi-lobal fiber 300 3B 30% polyethylene terephthalatefiber 30% elastomeric binder 40% thermoplastic multi-lobal fiber 500 4A70% polyethylene terephthalate fiber 300 30% polyethylene terephthalatebicomponent binder 4B 70% polyethylene terephthalate fiber 30%polyethylene terephthalate bicomponent binder 500

Comparative samples are shown in Table 2:

TABLE 2 Sample Name Properties of Sample Horse Memory Foam Polyurethanefoam; 1100 g/m²; 15 mm thick Knee Pad PU Foam Polyurethane open cellfoam; 600 g/m²; 20 mm thick Knee Pad PU/EVA Foam Bi-layered material;1110 g/m² total Layer 1: ethylene vinyl acetate closed cell foam; 10 mmthick Layer 2: polyurethane open cell foam; 2 mm thick

Example 1

Cushioning tests according to ASTM D3574-3 are performed. The results ofthe tests are shown in Table 3.

TABLE 3 Sample Compression rate Loading work WC [J] Unloading work WC′[J] Resilience RC [-] =WC′/WC Linear energy WCL [J] Linearity LC [-]=WC/WCL Max Force [kPa] Initial thickness [mm] Max displacement [mm]Displacement at 140 Pa (during unload) [mm] gsm 1A 50%. 4.85E-023.22E-02 0.66 8.30E-02 0.58 12 11.8 5.9 1.0 453 2A 50% 3.46E-02 2.24E-020.65 4.47E-02 0.77 6 11.5 5.8 0.9 328 3A 50% 4.78E-02 3.19E-02 0.677.18E-02 0.66 10 11.7 5.8 1.0 408 4A 50% 6.71E-02 4.39E-02 0.66 9.07E-020.74 12 12.6 6.3 1.0 342 1B 50% 1.04E-01 6.78E-02 0.65 2.05E-01 0.51 2712.6 6.3 1.2 695 2B 50%. 9.08E-02 5.81E-02 0.64 1.37E-01 0.66 18 12.56.3 1.1 595 3B 50% 8.35E-02 5.46E-02 0.65 1.34E-01 0.62 18 12.1 6.0 0.9551 4B 50% 1.37E-01 8.75E-02 0.64 2.28E-01 0.60 25 15.0 7.5 1.5 612Horse Memory Foam 50% 6.53E-02 3.34E-02 0.53 5.20E-02 1.26 6 15.2 7.50.8 1032 Knee Pad PU Foam 50% 8.87E-02 4.08E-02 0.46 7.32E-02 1.21 1417.1 8.5 1.4 596 Knee Pad PU/EVA Foam 50% 1.02E-01 7.10E-02 0.701.46E-01 0.70 84 9.9 5.1 1.5 1064 1A 85% 3.50E-01 1.09E-01 0.54 2.17E+000.16 175 11.9 10.1 2.4 452 2A 85% 1.93E-01 1.08E-01 0.56 8.53E-01 0.2468 11.8 10.0 1.8 385 3A 85% 2.12E-01 1.19E-01 0.56 1.05E+00 0.20 89 11.29.5 1.8 366 4A 85% 1.85E-02 1.01E-01 0.55 6.70E-01 0.28 50 12.9 10.9 2.2330 1B 85%. 6.53E-02 3.72E-02 0.57 1.10E+00 0.06 92 11.4 9.0 2.0 459 2B85% 4.33E-01 2.32E-01 0.54 2.43E+00 0.18 192 12.3 10.5 1.9 556 3B 85%4.78E-01 2.57E-01 0.54 2.88E+00 0.17 226 12.2 10.3 2.2 551 4B 85%6.53E-02 3.91E-02 0.60 5.92E-01 0.11 41 13.7 9.0 1.6 671 Horse MemoryFoam 85% 2.55E-01 1.18E-01 0.46 1.05E+00 0.24 66 15.1 12.8 1.0 999 KneePad PU Foam 85% 2.18E-01 9.52E-02 0.44 4.60E-01 0.51 51 17.1 14.6 2.2601 Knee Pad PU/EVA Foam 85%. 4.03E-01 3.17E-01 0.79 7.52E-01 0.54 24410.3 8.9 2.5 1070

As shown by the table, the column “Max Force [kPa]” shows that thesamples identified in Table 1 sustain a higher load as compared to opencell foams while being significantly lighter. The column “Resilience”shows that the samples identified in Table 1 are more resilient ascompared to open cell foams while being significantly lighter. Thecolumn “Linearity” shows that the linearity of the samples identified inTable 1 is generally lower. Non-linearity is correlated to the softtouch/handle of the fabric.

Example 2

Sweating guarded-hotplate testing is performed according to ISO 11092.The testing seems to measure thermal and water vapor resistance understeady-state conditions. The results of the tests are shown in Table 4.

TABLE 4 Sample Thermal Resistance (m²K/W) Water Vapor Resistance(m²Pa/W) Permeability Index 1 mm of calm air 0.037 2.2 1.0 Polyurethanefoam; 1100 g/m2; 15 mm thickness 0.374 56 0.4 Sample 1B 0.321 27 0.7

The test results show Sample 1B has similar thermal resistance comparedto the polyurethane foam, which is twice the mass. This would givesimilar cold thermal protection in cold temperatures. Moreover, theVapor Resistance is almost half for Sample 1B than the polyurethanefoam, meaning that the moisture is evacuated almost two times moreeasily. This leads to a Permeability Index that is significantly higher,which is generally correlated with better comfort.

Example 3

Testing is performed to test the wicking attributes of the samples. 150mL of water is added to a 173 mm diameter container. This 150 mLcorrespond to about three times the maximum volume of the samples sothat there will be enough water, regardless of wicking properties of thesamples. The size of the container (i.e., being larger than the sample)allows the sample to emerge out of the water so that the wicking processcan be observed. The samples are put on the top of the water in thecontainer. If the sample has wicking capabilities, it plunges into thewater and then by capillarity, the water is absorbed by the sample andmoves up into the sample. If nothing happens, the sample is forced intothe water after 10 seconds. After a certain time “tmax”, which isrecorded for each sample, the water reaches a maximum height inside thesample. This height is then normalized by sample height. The test isstopped after 30 seconds (>>tmax). The mass of the sample is thenmeasured. This measures the quantity of water the material can wick. Theresults of the testing are shown in Table 5.

TABLE 5 Sample 4B 4B 2B 2B 3B 3B 1B 1B Horse Memory Foam Knee Pad PUFoam Trial I II I III I II I II Surface density (g/m²) 500 500 500 500500 500 500 500 1000 600 Target thickness (mm) 15 15 13 13 13 13 13 1315 20 Initial mass (g) 1.4446 1.0158 1.486 1.4319 1.3694 1.3531 1.74191.712 2.454 1.495 Final mass (g) 30.54 29.5655 7.7 9.611 19.2924 20.326.295 27.279 3.846 2.85 Ratio volume (%) 78% 78% 20% 27% 62% 63% 78%83% 4% 3% End time (s) 6 6 pushed pushed 6 6 3 3 pushed pushed Thickness(mm) 15.1 14.9 12.5 12.3 11.8 12 .2 12.8 12.5 15 20 Height @10 s (mm) 1212 1 3 9 9 12 12 2 3 Ratio height @10 s(%) 79% 81% 8% 24% 76% 74% 94%96% 13% 15%

Example 4

Testing is performed to measure the moisture evaporation of each sample.Each sample is cut to have a diameter of 56 mm. The thickness of eachsample is 13 mm. A container having a diameter of about 59 mm and a wallheight of about 8 mm is filled with 10 mL of water (thereby having aheight of about 4 mm). Each sample is laid in the container with water.The mass of the sample over time is recorded to measure how quickly themoisture evaporates through the sample. For evaporation to occur, thesample wicks the water to the top of the sample. The results of thetesting are shown in Table 6.

TABLE 6 Material Description Dry Specimen Mass Pre-Testing (g) DrySpecimen Mass Post-Testing (g) Starting Water Mass (g) Relative Humidity(%) Temp. (° F) Dry Time (Days) Sample 1B, Specimen I 1.74 1.75 9.6238.00 74.50 1.21 Sample 1B, Specimen II 1.72 1.72 9.77 38.00 73.90 1.33Sample 4B, Specimen I 1.46 1.48 9.72 40.00 74.70 1.54 Sample 3B,Specimen II 1.37 1.37 9.72 41.00 74.80 1.25 Sample 2B, Specimen I 1.481.49 9.80 42.00 74.30 1.58 Knee Pad PU Foam, Specimen I 1.50 1.50 9.8038.00 73.90 1.83 Horse Memory Foam, Specimen I 2.45 2.45 9.80 42.0073.90 3.08 Horse Memory Foam, Specimen II 2.52 2.52 9.67 39 74.5 1.62

The test results show that the addition of the multi-lobal fiber inSamples 1 and 3 that the rate of drying is increased or drying time isdecreased. Specimens without the multi-lobal fiber (Samples 2 and 4) drymore slowly. Open cell polyurethane foam also takes longer to dry thanall fiber samples.

Parts by weight as used herein refers to 100 parts by weight of thecomposition specifically referred to. Any numerical values recited inthe above application include all values from the lower value to theupper value in increments of one unit provided that there is aseparation of at least 2 units between any lower value and any highervalue. As an example, if it is stated that the amount of a component ora value of a process variable such as, for example, temperature,pressure, time and the like is, for example, from 1 to 90, preferablyfrom 20 to 80, more preferably from 30 to 70, it is intended that valuessuch as 15 to 85, 22 to 68, 43 to 51, 30 to 32, etc. are expresslyenumerated in this specification. For values which are less than one,one unit is considered to be 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01, or 0.1 as appropriate.These are only examples of what is specifically intended and allpossible combinations of numerical values between the lowest value, andthe highest value enumerated are to be expressly stated in thisapplication in a similar manner. Unless otherwise stated, all rangesinclude both endpoints and all numbers between the endpoints. The use of“about” or “approximately” in connection with a range applies to bothends of the range. Thus, “about 20 to 30” is intended to cover “about 20to about 30”, inclusive of at least the specified endpoints. The term“consisting essentially of” to describe a combination shall include theelements, ingredients, components or steps identified, and such otherelements ingredients, components or steps that do not materially affectthe basic and novel characteristics of the combination. The use of theterms “comprising” or “including” to describe combinations of elements,ingredients, components or steps herein also contemplates embodimentsthat consist essentially of the elements, ingredients, components orsteps. Plural elements, ingredients, components or steps can be providedby a single integrated element, ingredient, component or step.Alternatively, a single integrated element, ingredient, component orstep might be divided into separate plural elements, ingredients,components or steps. The disclosure of “a” or “one” to describe anelement, ingredient, component or step is not intended to forecloseadditional elements, ingredients, components or steps.

1. A wearable and reusable article comprising: a. one or more moisturewicking layers, wherein an inner moisture wicking layer is adapted tocontact a surface having or producing moisture; and b. a fibrous layershaving a plurality of fibers including generally vertically orientedfibers as a result of a carding and lapping and/or air laving process,wherein at least a portion of the generally vertically oriented fibersof the fibrous layer are positioned within the article to be orientedgenerally perpendicularly to the surface having or producing moisture;wherein the fibrous layer includes fibers that are fused in space as anetwork so that the article has sufficient structure and body; whereinan exterior surface of the article is an outer moisture wicking layer orthe fibrous layer; wherein the article is adapted to remove the moisturefrom the surface having or producing moisture via the inner moisturewicking layer transferring moisture to the fibrous layer; and whereineach layer of the article is permeable to allow air flow through all ofthe layers of the article.
 2. (canceled)
 3. The article of claim 1,wherein the surface having or producing moisture is skin of a body or amoist garment.
 4. The article of claim 1, wherein the fibrous layers issandwiched between two moisture wicking layers.
 5. (canceled) 6.(canceled)
 7. The article of claim 1, wherein the article is adapted topull moisture from a user’s skin, through the article, and onto theexterior surface of the article.
 8. (canceled)
 9. The article of claim1, wherein fibers of the fibrous layers have a non-circularcross-section.
 10. (canceled)
 11. The article of claim 1, wherein thetype and/or orientation of the fibers of the fibrous layers create acapillary effect to pull the moisture away from the surface. 12.(canceled)
 13. (canceled)
 14. The article of claim 1, wherein thearticle exhibits structural resiliency to provide cushioning. 15.(canceled)
 16. The article of claim 1, wherein the fibrous layer isformed by a lapping process.
 17. The article of claim 1, wherein thearticle or one or more layers thereof is thermoformable to allow thearticle to be formed into a desired shape.
 18. (canceled)
 19. Thearticle of claim 1, wherein the article is washable.
 20. The article ofclaim 1, wherein the article exhibits antimicrobial characteristics,antifungal characteristics, mold or mildew resistance, or a combinationthereof.
 21. (canceled)
 22. (canceled)
 23. (canceled)
 24. (canceled) 25.The article of claim 1, wherein the fibrous layers includes bicomponentfibers.
 26. (canceled)
 27. (canceled)
 28. (canceled)
 29. (canceled) 30.The article of claim 1, one or more of the layers are laminated togetherto form a laminated product prior to any additional shaping or moldingsteps.
 31. The article of claim 1, wherein the article is supplied as aroll or a sheet.
 32. The article of claim 1, wherein the fibrous layerincludes fibers selected from polybutylene terephthalate (PBT),polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT),co-polyester/polyester (CoPET/PET) adhesive bi-component fibers, or acombination thereof.
 33. The article of claim 32, wherein the fibrouslayer includes fibers including PET and bi-component fibers including acopolymer including PET.
 34. The article of claim 16, wherein thelapping process is a vertical lapping process.
 35. The article of claim1, wherein the fibrous layer is formed by an air laying process.
 36. Thearticle of claim 1, wherein the article or one or more layers thereofhas a permeability of about 600 L/m²/s or greater at 100 Pa.
 37. Thearticle of claim 1, wherein the article is selected from: a sweatband, aheadband, a backpack, a pet harness, bike shorts, and pants.